QMI SAI Global

ISO 9001 Certification Improves Efficiency and Bottom Line

Mixed within the sands of Alberta, Canada lies bitumen, a form of oil – more than 300 billion barrels of oil, according to the Alberta Energy and Utility Board. In fact, Alberta has the second-largest source of oil in the world. Bitumen is not like the gushing liquid beneath the sand of Saudi Arabia, however.

Most of Alberta’s bitumen must be extracted through multi-billion dollar rigs of steel and pipe that use steam to separate the oil from the sand and force it up to the surface. Before companies like Suncor will invest $3.4 billion U.S. in one of these petro-chemical complexes, they depend on North America Caissons Ltd. (NACL) to provide the critical pile driving and caisson construction.

Originally, the company planned to earn certification because it was becoming an industry standard. They also recognized registration’s competitive advantage. According to Andrew Young, Quality Assurance Manager, the path to certification also quickly became the quality tool for better, more efficient performance throughout the organization.

“With the growth in our oil sands industry, and accordingly our market share, it has become necessary to recruit new project managers or promote from within. With a documented uniform quality management system and the attendant processes, it is now simply a matter of handing the new person the literature and telling them this is how we do business,” said Young.

NACL can now change personnel around various worksites, and know every individual can instantly recognize familiar systems and process. These processes range from safety, document control, scheduling, cost controlling, surveying and others necessary within the complexity of heavy construction.

Young said, “Certification brings a sense of structure to a seemingly chaotic business. Our industry is not a cookie-cutter manufacturing industry…every project is new and unique. Now that we are an industry innovator and leader, competitors and related industry contractors benchmark their processes against our practices.”

Before achieving certification, NACL had to close gaps in processes and improve value areas with immediate impact, including document control. The result: Young was able to prove that quality processes make life easier for employees throughout the organization. Every improvement in processes led to increased value in the bottom line, and Young earned trust from associates.

QMI auditors were positive factors throughout the ISO 9001 registration process, said Young, because they were always available, provided valuable gap analysis tools and recommended practical advice.

North American Caissons, Ltd., installs various types of pile foundations throughout North America and employs approximately 400. The company’s niche includes the oil sands of Western Canada. The company expects to become a part of a predicted boom cycle of construction, predicted to exceed $50 billion.

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